Container closure and package including same



P 1965 R, E. MILLER ETAL 3,208,626

CONTAINER CLOSURE AND PACKAGE INCLUDING SAME Filed June 13, 1962 2Sheets-Sheet l Sept. 28, 1965 R. E. MILLER ETAL CONTAINER CLOSURE ANDPACKAGE INCLUDING SAME 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 13, 1962 Jail-PH fi.5444 5774 15 0W4/PD M. may

y (A I 5 United States Patent 3,208,626 CONTAINER CLOSURE AND PACKAGEINCLUDING SAME Roland E. Miller, Orangeville, and Joseph A. Scaletta,

Chicago, Ill., and Edward M. Lally, Beaver Dam, Wis.,

assignors to National Dairy Products Corporation, Chicage, Ill., acorporation of Delaware Filed June 13, 1962, Ser. No. 202,121 2 Claims.(Cl. 22,0-54) This invention relates to packages having removableclosures. More particularly, the invention relates to such packages inwhich the closures are provided with means for facilitating theirremoval.

Open-topped containers having a lid or closure releasably securedthereto are frequently utilized in the packaging of products forcommercial distribution. In certain applications, such as the packagingof foods under hermetic seal, the container frequently includes anoutwardly projecting rim, while the closure or lid is provided with adepending flange crimped so as to engage the lower surface of the rimand secure the closure in place. To facilitate the opening of thepackage, the flange may be provided with a score line or similar line ofweakness which permits detachment of the crimped portion of the flange,theoretically, at least, thereby permitting the lid to be removed fromthe container.

Frequently, however, when the products within the container are undervacuum, removal of the crimped portion of the flange does not alwayspermit easy removal of the closure, since the greater pressure acting onthe outer surface of the closure serves to maintain it in place. Thedifliculty in removing the closure is increased by the fact that afterthe crimped portion of the closure has been removed, there is verylittle surface which can be grasped by hand or with a tool in an attemptto break the vacuum. In addition, the small surface which is availableis encircled by the sharp edge remaining after the crimped portion hasbeen removed. Accordingly, attempts to open such a container by hand mayresult in cuts and scratches to the user.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide an improvedpackage of the class described which may be easily and readily openedmanually without the use of a tool.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a closure for acontainer in which hot food products are sealed, thus creating a vacuumin the container when the contents become cooled, which closure includesmeans for facilitating the removal thereof.

A further object of the invention is to provide a closure adapted to becrimped to an opening-defining rim of a container, which closureincludes means for disengaging the crimped portion therefrom along aline of weakness and a tab for facilitating removal of the closure fromthe container after the crimped portion has been removed.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent withreference to the following description and accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a package showing various of thefeatures of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary, sectional view of a portion of thepackage shown in FIG. 2;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary, perspective view of the package ofFIG. 1 as it appears during one stage of the opening thereof;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view similar to that ofFIG. 3 but showing a portion of the flange of the lid removed;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged bottom plan view of a blank which might be usedto form the closure for the package illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 5; and

FIGURES 7 through 9 are enlarged fragmentary views, partially insection, of the package of FIG. 1, showing three steps in the attachmentof the closure to the container portion of the package.

Very generally, a package 11 shown in the drawings and illustratingvarious of the features of the invention comprises a cup-shapedcontainer or base portion 13, the mouth of which is encircled by arolled or beaded upper rim 15. An improved closure 17 overlies the rim15 and includes a depending peripheral flange 19 which is crimped aroundthe rim 15 into engagement with the lower surface thereof so as tosecure the closure to the container. Provision is made for thedetachment of the crimped portion of the flange from the remainder ofthe closure along a line of weakness 21 when it is desired to open thepackage, leaving attached to the closure a projecting lifting tab 55which is not detachable and which greatly facilitates separation of theclosure from the container should any remaining conditions such as avacuum seal or the surface tension of packaged materials serve to resistsuch removal.

More specifically, the open top container or base portion 13 ispreferably formed of metal or other generally rigid material drawn intocup shape from a blank. The container includes a slightly archedcircular bottom wall 23 (FIGURE 2) and a side wall 25 which extends upwardly and outwardly from the periphery of the bottom wall, the sidewall being offset outwardly somewhat near its upper edge, as designatedby the numeral 27. The upper edge portions of the side walls definingthe mouth of the container are rolled or beaded in a continuous curve toprovide the outwardly extending rim 15 of substantially cylindricalcross-section to which the closure 17 is secured, as hereinafterdescribed.

The removable closure 17 which is also reuseable, is preferably formedfrom a single metallic blank 29 (FIG- URE 6) and includes a main coverportion in the form of a plate 31, from the periphery of which dependsthe flange 19. The center section 33 of the cover plate 31 is preferablyembossed downwardly with the encircling outer or peripheral portion ofthe cover plate being flared outwardly at 35 so as to provide a curvedportion which will overlie the curled or rolled rim 15 of the container.An annular upwardly directed embossment 37 is provided in the centersection 33 to increase the load-bearing properties thereof, and also toprovide a shallow recess 38 to receive the lower edge of another packagesupported thereon during shipment or display.

The flange 19, which is integral with the cover plate 31 and extendscompletely therearound, cooperates with the side Wall of the downwardlyembossed center section 33 of the cover plate 31 to define an invertedchannel 39 within which the rim 15 of the container is disposed. Asealing material 41 in the form of a thin fluid-impermeable coating onthe inner surface of the upper wall of the channel provides a sealbetween the closure and rim when the closure is in place.

The closure 17 is clamped to the container 13 by a crimping or foldingof a lower portion 43 of the flange 19 under the rim 15 so as to causeit to engage the lower surface of the rim. As will be described in moredetail shortly, the crimping of the flange is accomplished while theclosure is being urged under pressure into intimate contact with the rimso as to compress and deform the sealing material 41.

In order to release the clamping effect of the crimped portion of theflange incident to removal of the closure from the container 13, theline of weakness 21 in the form of a score line is provided in theflange to permit detachment of the crimped portion from the remainder ofthe closure. The line of weakness, as seen best in FIG. 6, is preferablylocated on the inwardly facing surface of the flange and extends almost,but not completely, around the flange, terminating in a pair of spacedpoints 47 and 49 adjacent the outer edge thereof. The score linetherefore begins and ends on the lower edge of the flange 19 when thelatter is crimped about the container rim 15, thus permitting the entirelower portion 43 of the flange to be separated from the closure alongthis line of weakness.

Detachment of the lower or crimped portion of the flange along the lineof weakness 21 is facilitated by means of a tear tab 51 which extendsfrom the lower or crimped portion 43 adjacent one of the points 47 oftermination of the line of weakness. By grasping the tear tab andpulling upwardly and outwardly thereon, the lower or crimped portion ofthe flange can be torn along the line of weakness and removed from theclosure (see FIG. 4). To facilitate the gripping thereof, the tear tab51 is preferably embossed in a series of concentric rings 53 (FIGS. 7through 9).

As has been previously mentioned, detachment of the crimped portion 43of the flange releases the clamping effect of the flange and should,theoretically, permit easy removal of the closure. However, when thereis a vacuum within the package, such as when it contains food productswhich have been packaged in a warm or hot condition and subsequentlycooled, the greater pressure acting upon the outer surface of theclosure provides a force which retains the closure in place and rendersits removal without the use of a tool quite difiicult and, at times,impossible.

Accordingly, the closure 13 of the present invention includes a secondtab 55 which extends from the cover plate in the area intermediate thespaced points 47 and 49 defining the termination of the score line 21.The tab 55 is separated from the tear tab 51, as in the illustratedembodiment, by a notch 57 which extends from the outer edge of the tabsto a peripheral portion of the flange 19. Because of its locationrelative to the line of weakness, the tab 55 is not detached with thecrimped portion 43, and remains attached to the closure to provide aconvenient means by which the closure can be lifted against therestraining force caused by a vacuum or surface tension of packagedliquids, solids or semi-solids. The tab 55 also includes an embossment59 to facilitate gripping thereof.

It will be noted that the closure can be removed without the use of atool which might bend or otherwise deform it. Hence, the closure can bereplaced by the consumer to again provide a highly effective seal shouldonly a portion of the packaged product be needed for the initialserving. Even after the original contents of the package have beenconsumed, moreover, the container and closure can be reused for thestorage of other items which are packaged in less durable containers.

A method of applying the improved closure to the container or base isillustrated in FIGS. 7 throught 9. lnitially, the container is filledwith the product to be packaged and the semi-formed closure is thenplaced over the container, with the curved portion 35 of the lidoverlying the curled or rolled rim 15 of the container 13 so as toprovide a crescent-shaped space occupied at least partially by thesealing material 41 adhering to the roof of the closure channel 39.Pressure is then applied to .the closure (FIG. 7) as indicated by thearrows, which forces the closure into intimate engagement with the rimand also deforms the layer of sealing material 41, causing the featherededges thereof to flow outwardly over the upper surface of the rim andprovide a fluid impermeable seal.

While the closure and containers are under pressure,

the lower portion 43 of the flange is partially crimped as by rollingwith a suitable die, thereby causing this portion of the flange toengage the lower surface of the rolled rim of the container (FIGURE 8).It will be noted that this partial crimping also causes the tabs 51 and55 to be turned downwardly somewhat.

In the final step of the operation, the crimping of the flange iscompleted, while still maintaining the package under pressure (FIGURE9). This final crimping operation positions the tabs in a nearlyvertical depending position wherein they will not interfere withadjacent packages when they are packed for shipment.

A novel package has thus been shown and described which is provided witha reuseable closure which may be quickly and easily removed manually andwithout the aid of a tool. The package is particularly adapted for foodproducts which are under vacuum when delivered to the consumer, althoughit of course has application to the packaging of items under normalpressure and to items other than food products. When the packagedproducts are under a vacuum, however, the closure which seals thepackage can be easily removed by means of the lifting tab 55 whichenables the user to overcome the resisting pressures.

While various of the features of the invention have been shown anddescribed, it will be apparent that various modifications may be madetherein without departing from the scope of this invention.

We claim:

1. A reuseable metallic closure for the opening of a container for fooditems under vacuum, which opening is defined by an outwardly projectinggenerally cylindrical rolled rim, said closure comprising a cover plate,a wall section extending upwardly from the periphery of said cover plateand flaring outwardly slightly from its lower toward its upper edge,said cover plate and said wall section thereby defining a downwardlyembossed central portion of said closure adapted to be disposed withinthe container with said plate positioned beneath the plane of theopening but parallel thereto and with the wall section engaging theinner surface of the side wall of said container so as to retain theclosure thereon, a curved peripheral portion extending from the upperedge of said wall section and adapted to overlie the rim of thecontainer, a flange depending from the outer edge of said peripheralportion and having a lower portion adapted to be crimped so as to engagethe lower surface of said rim and thereby further secure said coverplate to the container, said wall section and said depending flangedefining thereby between a channel adapted to receive the rim of thecontainer, sealing material disposed in said channel so as to engage theouter surface of said rim when said closure is positioned thereon, theinwardly facing surface of said flange being provided with a score lineextending partially therearound and terminating at a pair of relativelyclosely spaced positions on the outer edge of said flange, said scoreline being disposed so as to be generally intermediate said lowerportion of said flange and said curved peripheral portion so as torender said lower portion detachable along said line, a pull tabextending from said lower portion of said flange at one end of saidscore line for facilitating detachment of said lower portion along saidscore line, and a lift tab extending from said flange between the endsof said score line and adapted to remain attached to said curvedperipheral portion when said lower portion is detached therefrom, saidtabs being separated from each other by a notch extending inwardly fromthe outer edges of said tabs.

2. A package comprising a container having an opening defined by anoutwardly projecting generally cylindrical rolled rim, said containerhaving disposed therein a quantity of food product under vacuum, and areuseable closure for said opening comprising a cover plate,

a wall section extending upwardly from the periphery of said cover plateand flaring outwardly slightly from its lower toward its upper edge,said cover plate and said wall section thereby defining a downwardlyembossed central portion of said closure disposed within said containersuch that said cover plate is positioned beneath the plane of theopening but parallel thereto and said wall section engages the innersurface of the side wall of said container so as to retain the closurethereon, a curved peripheral portion projecting from the upper edge ofsaid wall section and disposed in overlying relation to said rim of saidcontainer, a flange depending from the outer periphery of said overlyingportion of said wall section and having a lower portion crimped so at toengage the lower surface of said rim and thereby further secure saidcover plate thereto, said wall section and said depending flangedefining therebetween a channel within which said rim is disposed,sealing material in said channel intermediate the outer surface of saidrim and said channel Wall, the inwardly facing surface of said flangebeing provided with a score line extending substantially therearound andterminating at a pair of relatively closely spaced positions along theouter edge of said flange, said score line being disposed so as to begenerally interripheral portion so as to render said crimped portiondetachable along said score line, a first tab extending from saidcrimped portion of said flange adjacent one end of said score line inposition to facilitate detachment of said portion along said score line,and a second tab extending from said flange intermediate the ends ofsaid score line in position to remain attached to said curved peripheralportion when said crimped portion is detached therefrom, said tabs beingseparatedfrom each other by a notch extending inwardly from the outeredge of said tabs and along adjacent sides thereof.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,921,682 8/33Loeber 220-42 FOREIGN PATENTS 778,655 1/ 35 France. 356,321 1/ 38 Italy.641,196 8/50 Great Britain. 674,349 6/ 5 2 Great Britain.

THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

mediate said crimped portion of said flange and said pe- EARLE J.DRUMMOND, Examiner.

1. A REUSEABLE METALLIC CLOSURE FOR THE OPENING OF A CONTAINER FOR FOODITEMS UNDER CACUUM, WHICH OPENING IS DEFINED BY AN OUTWARDLY PROJECTINGGENERALLY CYLINDRICAL ROLLED RIM, SAID CLOSURE COMPRISING A COVER PLATE,A WALL SECTION EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM THE PERIPHERY OF SAID COVER PLATEAND FLARING OUTWARDLY SLIGHTLY FROM ITS LOWER TOWARD ITS UPPER EDGE,SAID COVER PLATE AND SAID WALL SECTION THEREBY DEFINING A DOWNWARDLYEMBOSSED CENTRAL PORTION OF SAID CLOSURE ADAPTED TO BE DISPOSED WITHINTHE CONTAINER WITH SAID PLATE POSITIONED BENEATH THE PLANE OF THEOPENING BUT PARALLEL THERETO AND WITH THE WALL SECTION ENGAGING THEINNER SURFACE OF THE SIDE WALL OF SAID CONTAINER SO AS TO RETAIN THECLOSURE THEREON, A CURVED PERIPHERAL PORTION EXTENDING FROM THE UPPEREDGE OF SAID WALL SECTION AND ADAPTED TO OVERLIE THE RIM OF THECONTAINER, A FLANGE DEPENDING FROM THE OUTER EDGE OF SAID PERIPHERALPORTION AND HAVING A LOWER PORTION ADAPTED TO BE CRIMPED SO AS TO ENGAGETHE LOWER SURFACE OF SAID RIM AND THEREBY FURTHER SECURE SAID COVERPLATE TO THE CONTAINER, SAID WALL SECTION AND SAID DEPENDING FLANGEDEFINING THEREBY BETWEEN A CHANNEL ADAPTED TO RECEIVE THE RIM OF THECONTAINER, SEALING MATERIAL DISPOSED IN SAID CHANNEL SO AS TO ENGAGE THEOUTER SURFACE OF SAID RIM WHEN SAID CLOSURE IS POSITIONED THEREON, THEINWARDLY FACING SURFACE OF SAID FLANGE BEING PROVIDED WITH A SCORE LINEEXTENDING PARTIALLY THEREAROUND AND TERMINATING AT A PAIR OF RELATIVELYCLOSELY SPACED POSITIONS ON THE OUTER EDGE OF SAID FLANGE, SAID SCORELINE BEING DISPOSED SO AS TO BE GENERALLY INTERMEDIATE SAID LOWERPORTION OF SAID FLANGE AND SAID CURVED PERIPHERAL PORTION SO AS TORENDER SAID LOWER PORTION DETACHABLE ALONG SAID LINE, PULL TAB EXTENDINGFROM SAID LOWER PORTION OF SAID FLANGE AT ONE END OF SAID SCORE LINE FORFACILITATING DETACHMENT OF SAID LOWER PORTION ALONG SAID SCORE LINE, ANDA LIFT TAB EXTENDING FROM SAID FLANGE BETWEEN THE ENDS OF SAID SCORELINE AND ADAPTED TO REMAIN ATTACHED TO SAID CURVED PERIPHERAL PORTIONWHEN SAID LOWER PORTION IS DETACHED THEREFROM, SAID TABS BEING SEPARATEDFROM EACH OTHER BY A NOTCH EXTENDING INWARDLY FROM THE OUTER EDGES OFSAID TABS.